


Starfall

by ArtisticVicu



Series: RPApril Extravaganza 2019 [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Racism, Rescue Mission, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Slavery, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23562076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtisticVicu/pseuds/ArtisticVicu
Summary: The organization that pulled him in gave him nothing more than a file. That file held the bare bones of what was expected of him and basic files on his new companions. He hadn't thought much about retaining any of that information but when one companion suggests pretending he owns three of the six companions, he starts regretting that decision.Whose stupid idea was it to send him in on a rescue mission anyways? He wasn't going to be held responsible for anything that happened.Event Summary:Write a short story every week.
Series: RPApril Extravaganza 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695238





	1. Transport Intel

The metal of the railing pressed into his forearms, a comfort as he listened to its vibrations and resisted the urge to warp it to his will. As much as he wanted to, it wasn't allowed on property that wasn't his own even if he had every intention of putting it back; at least not here. With the roll of the crowd below, he was rather surprised at how easy it was to pick them out of the crowd. It didn't bode well for anything to come.  
  
"This is your platform," the personnel leading the group spoke, gesturing wide as they reached the top of the stairs. He stepped away from the metal railing and was not surprised that the twins had eyes on him before he had even moved. He didn't like them but that was prejudice talking. And his inability to read the female. Her expressions were always so hard to read. Even now he couldn't tell if she was looking at him with curiosity, boredom, or disdain. "And it looks like the rest of your party is here."  
  
The male twin offered the personnel a soft smile. "Thank you, Ments."  
  
"Of course," the personnel responded with a quick bow. They were down the stairs in hurried steps before the last of the group had made it onto the platform itself.  
  
The male twin turned their focus back onto him and he found himself straightening under that gaze. Even if he couldn't really read them, he knew that both would be able to outmaneuver him in any way, be if physical or mental. "You must be Michael Tron, our...Mecon guide, of sorts."  
  
He dipped his head in acknowledgement. "I was brought to the organization to help you find someone?"  
  
He hated bureaucracy. They hadn't told him anything of use.  
  
"A Myst."  
  
His gaze snapped to the petite girl with hair that looked like it needed a good brushing with what looked to be a small dragon like lizard curled around the back of her neck. Before he could even ask what she had meant by that, the lizard turned into a cloud and he scrambled backwards as it reformed, taking on the shape of something he had never seen before.  
  
His back hit railing as the creature's form settled before him. It had gone from a dragon like lizard no bigger than a fricken snake to being larger than the girl it had been on. it was clearly still a reptile of some sort, scaly skin different shades of blue and green edged in brown with a tail that doubled the body length and a head that was larger than his full of sharp teeth. The front limps curled towards the creature's chest but the claws and flex of muscles spoke to them being as dangerous as the powerful hind legs it walked on as it tipped forward, looking up at him with its head level with his stomach. "Like me."  
  
His grip convulsed around the railing. "So we're looking for a shapeshifter?"  
  
"Of sorts," the male twin offered, running a hand over the creature's back as they approached. He tried to look at them but he found it difficult to look away from the predator before him. "We're fairly certain that this particular Myst won't be changing as fluidly as Lilitu does."  
  
"Lilitu?"  
  
The creature dipped its head. "Standing fast."  
  
He frowned at it. "How do you know that?"  
  
The creature straightened, standing at its proper height. He hated that he was shorter than it, even if it wasn't by much. "I am a Myst. I have been all over Izen, have seen and interacted with most of its cultures. Mecon greetings and introductions are old. Even if I don't know the modern Meco, I know her traditions have not changed."  
  
He took a cautious step away from the rail, finally turning his attention to the male twin. "So why ask for a Mecon guide? I don't see the point of me being here if you've got," he fished for words as he gestured at the creature before him, "whatever that is."  
  
"Because there's more to it than just a simple search and rescue," the male twin informed him plainly.  
  
His expression flattened. "You're expecting to get into trouble with the locals."  
  
The male twin's lips twitched into a smile. "Can you blame me? After all, you already don't trust me and my twin." He clenched his jaw at that. As much as he would have loved to have called the other an assuming racist, it would just make him more of a hypocrite and prove their point. "This way, we can move freely. After all, you would have lead in this."  
  
He narrowed his eyes. "You're not suggesting..."  
  
He couldn't finish it. As much as he was a Mecon and still held to the beliefs of its people, he didn't approve of the class system Meco adhered to.  
  
"If we are under your control, we would be left untouched. You know at minimum what my sister and I are, our worth. If we're not already claimed, it'll only complicate things."  
  
He clicked his tongue in distaste but it made sense. His gaze flickered over the others. "You do realize bringing human children with is dangerous, right?"  
  
The male twin chuckled. "They are not human and far from children."  
  
He frowned and looked to the boy and girl that were standing close to the human girl the creature had initially been with. The two children couldn't have been older than 15, but, then, the human girl looked like she could be the same age. "Fine. Age and race or I'm not going through with this."  
  
"256, Quillian," the girl spoke before gesturing at the boy. "My twin brother."  
  
He looked to the human girl. She smiled and he found himself suddenly on edge. There was something distinctly not human about her. "20, human. I'm from Zec, if that helps."  
  
His disbelief colored his expression. "The ice continent. You do realize you're going to a desert, right?"  
  
She laughed. His apprehension spiked. "I haven't been to Zec in years." She smiled at him. "I'll be fine."  
  
He gave a slow nod before focusing on the twins at her side. "If you want to be taken for Quillians, it would be best to showcase those characteristics. Currently you two look like human children."  
  
The pair shared a look before shrugging in unison. The boy produced a circlet as the girl pulled at her hair, braiding back the strands that hid the markings that marked the difference between humans and Quillians when it was immediately clear. The boy used the circlet to keep his curls off his own markings.  
  
"You're angen." The pair looked at him with identical wide, curious eyes. He clarified, "Your markings, they're agnen markings. You're winged Quillians."  
  
The pair grinned at him but it was the brother that spoke up. "That's impressive! Not many can tell the difference between the Quillian marks."  
  
The male twin - the one still standing before him with the creature - spoke up in curiosity. "You know the differences?"  
  
He shrugged. "I've worked with a number of Quillian before." He focused on the set of smaller twins. "But they were all obviously Quillians. Even the one angen I interacted with was still very much Quillian. Why are you two so human?"  
  
The pair shrugged, grinning again. The sister spoke up. "We're not that strange. A good number of angen are startling human."  
  
"It makes getting around rather easy when all we have to do is hide a few markings," the brother added. "Too many people still see angen as angels sent to save them."  
  
"So your wings?"  
  
The pair pulled at their necklaces, pulling what looked to be two pieces of the same stone. The brother explained, "Most angen can hide their wings with a specific trinket."  
  
"We use what's call a moon stone to either show or hide our wings," the sister continued.  
  
The brother tucked his back into his outerwear. "Most angens keep their wings but ours will disappear."  
  
"There's a cycle to it," the sister amended, tucking her own stone away. "We just use the stones to counter it when we need to."  
  
That only seemed to bred more questions so he simply dropped it for now and focused back on the male twin and creature before him. "I won't be held responsible for the Quillian. Mecon will leave them be anyways unless they do something stupid."  
  
The male twin nodded. "Fair enough." They focused on the other set of twins. "Behave yourself, you two."  
  
The twins saluted, grinning. He wasn't sure if it should be taken seriously.  
  
Rolling his eyes, he focused on the creature. "Return to that first shape of yours. We need you as inconspicuous as possible."  
  
"Is there something specific that would work best?" the male twin inquired.  
  
He shrugged as the creature turned to fog or smoke and drift towards the human girl. "A proper snake is far less conspicuous but anything reptilian would be enough as long as it's not too exotic."  
  
"I can do snake."  
  
He looked over, watching as the creature settled its form and solidified into a brown snake that he couldn't name. To him, at least, it looked like a typical desert snake as it hung in a loose curl around the human girl's neck. Her hand stroked the creature's head.  
  
He turned away before he mentally lost it. "Good enough. Let's go before I bail."  
  
The transportation platform held a circle in which was a complex design he was betting was nothing more than decoration. There were two personnel standing patiently at either edge and he assumed they were the group's transport. He stepped to the center of the circle and waited as the others joined him. He pulled at the metal on his person and started to weave it all into intricately designs cuffs and collars. As each person approached, a cuff and collar settled around their neck even as he kept working on them. By the time they had all settled, the three that needed to be 'claimed' were so properly. He looked to the personnel on his right. The one one his left was obscured by the male twin. "Whenever you're ready."  
  
The personnel nodded and settled into a stance. There was a brief moment where nothing seemed to happen and then the world around them seemed to melt into something completely different.  
  
He took a deep breath of the hot air that hit his face and found it strange that he was glad to be back in Meco's capital, Si'Otwo.


	2. Into the Lands of Metal and Sand

Unlike the fancy transportation hub they had just left, Si'Otwo's transportation hub made the previous one look like it was a strange future with modern tech and whatnot. Si'Otwo's transportation hub was the main city market. The platform they were on was surrounded by a thick crowd of a wide assortment of people wearing a dizzying array of clothing. Sellers were shouting over the roar of the crowd in any number of languages. It was the heavy tongue of Metch that filled the air the most. After all, as much as the world spoke in Altone - the Mecon word for the common language - Meco's native tongue was still a point of pride and every Mecon child was taught Metch first and Altone second. His gaze flickered to the male twin as the other stepped up to his side. The slightly unfocused look in the other's eyes was the only hint he had that the other was piecing something together. "You know Metch?"  
  
"Enough to pass as fluent without being native," the male twin confirmed. Their gaze turned to him. "I can also understand a number of others but speaking them is challenging. My sister can understand all of the major languages of Izen and about a third of the uncommon. She knows two rare and can read one dead language. She can recognize a number of others but cannot translate them."  
  
"Good to know." He turned to look at the given twin. The female twin was standing behind the other three watching him and the male twin. "Can you speak all the ones you know?" The female twin shook their head and made a few quick gestures. It was enough and he turned to the male twin. "Keep with them, then. I don't want to have to hunt for a lost vicu in a city known for its slaver's market."  
  
"Of course," the male twin assured him.  
  
He really ought to have read those files completely. At least he had a set of translators in case things got out of hand. He intended to abuse that knowledge as well but it would be tricky hiding it from those he was exploiting. He'll have to talk to the male twin about that.  
  
"Come on," he spoke, starting down the platform's stairs. "We'd best get moving."  
  
The crowd swallowed him and his group with ease. The human girl and smaller twins stayed close and barely drew eyes - those that were drawn to the human girl were out of curiosity due to the fine clothing she wore as well as the pet she apparently kept and it only made their gazes flicker to him. The other set of twins drew far more eyes and he had expected as much. As much as Mecon culture still had slaves, vicuran servants were hard to come by. Most vicu had long since fled from the country or had remained hidden enough to not be caught and put to work. The good news for them was that they were treated more like servants or employees, given money and some rights, which was far better than the humans who were seen as nothing more than slaves; it was a twisted sort of irony to occur after generations of it being the reverse. But even with the higher standings, vicu were still owned by his kind in Meco and having such fine specimen readily following him without a seeming care was unusual.  
  
He expected issues because of it but not as soon as they stepped off the platform.  
  
The male twin played their part well, though; he didn't even have to say anything and suddenly the male twin was stepping between him and the man that came right up to him smelling of a sickly sweet smoke and fermented grain. Both told him this man had influence and was either a seller or a buyer. It didn't matter which: both were dangerous.  
  
"Good sir, may I trouble you for your property?"  
  
The man - rotund, skin burned red from the sun, and doing everything in his power to get around the steadfast male twin - was clearly a foreigner here who had stayed for the good money.  
  
He sneered at the man. "My property is not for sale. Be gone before I get annoyed enough to sic one on you." He leaned forward a bit and dropped his voice. "And you wouldn't want that, sir."  
  
The man's face went blotchy in anger and he recoiled in disgust. The man pointed a fat finger laden with rings at him, shouting, "Now see here, young man! I will have you know-"  
  
As much as his hate for the vicuran race was ingrained in him, their seamless shifting would always be breath-taking in its own right. The male twin didn't give the man much distance before their body flowed into that of a predator bred between two of the male twin's forms; their clawed hand snapped around the man's wrist faster than they had shifted and sharp teeth were bared with a warning growl. The man's coloring went from blotchy red to sickly pale at the same speed as the male twin had shifted.  
  
"Watch yourself," the male twin growled. "I would rather not relieve you of your arm."  
  
The man swallowed thickly. The male twin released the man's wrist and he watched the man stumble backwards into the surrounding crowd. Now they had every eye on them and he was tempted to do something drastic to get out of it. It wouldn't stop the rumors from beating them through the city but it would at least make him feel better.  
  
"Come on," he spoke, starting for a break in the onlookers that led into the still moving crowd beyond. The break in the onlookers widened for them to pass and he looked back only when the crowd beyond started to swallow him to make sure the others were following.  
  
Not that he needed to. He could feel the metal he had formed on their bodies following him.  
  
The flow of the crowd guided them through the bustling market past stalls and carts brimming with product and the ringing of voices. Jostled this way and that, he started for one of the lesser known exits. The male twin was right behind his shoulder, leaving him feeling more on edge than he would have cared. The break from the crowd was desperately when he finally stepped out of the swarm of people into the side street. He waited for the rest of his company to join him before continuing on.  
  
"How deep into the city are we going?" the male twin inquired after several long minutes walking the nearly deserted side street.  
  
"As far as we need to go." He looked at the twin. "The slaver's market thrives in the veins of this city. If we want to find who you're looking for, we need to start there."  
  
"You think Lucky will be there?"  
  
He frowned at the snake still draped around the human girl's neck. "Lucky?" he parroted.  
  
The snake nodded. It was mildly disconcerting but, then, he didn't hang around the shapeshifters of Izen if he could help it. "The Myst we're looking for. The name they go by is Lucky."  
  
He gave a noncommittal hum. "If someone captured this friend of yours, they would have done so to sell in the slaver's market. It's the first thing we have to at least check. I'm not promising anything."  
  
The street came to another, though this was was a larger thoroughfare. He stopped at the edge of the new street, looking to the left waiting for the traffic to die down enough to cross.  
  
One of the metal sets started towards the right and his head snapped around. The female twin was walking down the new street as if it were perfectly fine for them to wander off as such. He glared at the male twin. "What is your twin doing?"  
  
"She wanted to see the city," the male twin offered. "The street curves and the buildings give way for the view."  
  
They weren't wrong but he didn't like how certain the other sounded. "And how do you know that?"  
  
The male twin offered him a soft smile. "We studied a few maps before we left. That and we have pretty decent vision. I can see the end of the bend in the road where there could be no more structures build on the south side."  
  
He half glared at the male twin for a bit longer before letting out a sigh. "Fine."  
  
He turned finding that the female twin had stopped shortly after he had caught them leaving. They were looking his way, patient yet expectant, like him leading the others to follow their lead was the inevitable outcome.  
  
He wasn't even sure why he was allowing it.  
  
The road curved to the left, putting the sidewalk they were using on the outside edge where the structures gave way. There were always a good number of people there taking in the view, most of them tourists. But despite it being busy, he found himself looking out over Si'Otwo as it stretched out before them. A part of him ached to be back.  
  
The city was massive. There wasn't barren sand to be seen between them and the horizon. To the right was the marketplace itself; on top of an outcrop of the rocky plateau the massive structure cradled the marketplace within pillars, thatched roofs, and canopies. It wasn't so much a solid structure as it was simply made to distinguish the marketplace from the rest of the buildings around while also keeping the hot sun off of the marketplace itself.  
  
The rest of the city was far below, causing the road they were on to weave back and forth down the side of the plateau till it reached flat ground eight bends later. Many of the buildings in the city below were made of stone but it was the ones made out of metal that separated a Mecon city from a city in Qwen. All Quenish cities were made of earth since that was what the country was known for. Meco was known for metal. All like him had roots that tied them back to Meco regardless of where they were born.  
  
He leaned against the guardrail listening to the metal vibrate under his touch speaking of so many things. "Welcome to Meco, the Land of Metal and Sand. To Si'Otwo, Meco's crowning jewel of all her cities. You will never find a city quite like this one." He pushed away from the railing. "Trust me. I've tried."


	3. Only Hope

"So what now?"  
  
He looked over at the male twin finding everyone except for the female twin was looking at him. He still wasn't sure why he got put in charge. "We chat somewhere more private." He started down the winding street aiming for the city's street. "Come on."  
  
He purposely walked slower than he normally would have. He had grown up with this route ingrained into his every fiber before he could even walk properly. He knew what pace the locals walked and what pace the tourists walked. It wasn't hard to suddenly be the only people for a stretch.  
  
He looked back at the pair of taller twins, his gaze going from the female to the male. "How good is your top hearing?"  
  
The female twin cocked an eyebrow as the other offered, "We can make out the conversations beneath us, behind us, and above us quite clearly."  
  
"And you two have wings, right?" The male twin nodded. He looked to the female twin. "The wind should keep you aloft enough for you to hear well enough. If conversations lull in a way that suggests listening, alert your twin but do try to stay in your human form as best as you can. If I can keep from informing any onlookers to you two quite yet, the better. I trust this is a simple task?"  
  
The female twin fell back as white wings solidified into existence on their back. The wings were massive but any aviary expert would be able to tell they were swan wings, if just larger than normal. With calm steps, the female twin walked to the cliff edge of the road and stepped off. Sure enough those large wings outstretched caught the updraft of warm air easily and the female twin was a good few stories above their heads in a matter of seconds.  
  
"And are you able to communicate well enough without making it obvious?" he verified with the male twin.  
  
Said male twin made an odd gesture before offering him a smile. "Quite well. She will let me know if she believes we'll be overheard. Currently she is the center of attention. As are you but it is all speculation conversation, nothing speaking of listening in."  
  
The thin silver chain finally finished forming. It glistened like none other, a clear indicator that the vicu currently flying over their heads was indeed claimed. He wrapped a careful hand around the delicate chain. "Then keep a hold of her tether. It is not meant to keep her in place and will break under even a harmless pull."  
  
Again, the male twin's hand twitched oddly. He knew it was a form of sign language, he wasn't dense, but it seemed far too abrupt and minute to be of any use from that distance.  
  
Another thought came to mind. "Can anyone understand your sign language?"  
  
The male twin's smile grew mischievous. "My sister and I created our own sign language long before I could speak. Our gestures don't have any direct translation so learning any bit of it is near impossible. We do know the common sign as well as the alterations predominant in Shendo and Lihita. We've found this one to simply be more effective."  
  
He nodded. "And safer, since you can't be read."  
  
The male twin dipped their head, the grin settling back into a smile. "What is the plan once we reach the city?"  
  
He focused back on the road before them. "We go into the city's heart. The best place to start looking for your missing shifter will be the slaver's market if not the underground market itself."  
  
"The underground market?"  
  
He shrugged. "The slaver's market's black market of sorts. Most of the exotics get sent to the underground market because their either illegal, have a better chance of fetching a higher price there, or are being looked for. Most buyers in the underground market don't want to be associated with the market or its goods and so can the sellers. If I was a seller, I would definitely take your missing shifter there for two of those reasons if not all three. Seeing as I don't know how rare your shifter's kind is, that may be another reason."  
  
The snake on the human girl's shoulders puffed up as best a snake could. "What other reason?" it demanded.  
  
He gave it a flat look. "Rarity." He focused on the road again. "The more rare it is, the more narrow the audience. Higher buyers will go to the underground market looking for specifics. If you know where to sell, you get a better chance of finding a buyer. If you know what buyers with large wallets are looking for, the better the profit is for the seller."  
  
The male twin covered the snake's head as it reared up to spit something else out. "So where is this underground market."  
  
He shook his head. "It can't be located by conventional means. I've only been there twice and both times were through locations at opposite ends of the map. The underground market is known for hosting auctions in other countries, even. It's not called the underground market for nothing."  
  
"Subterranean locations."  
  
He nodded. "As well as under the radar of most governments. The only country slavery is even legal is Meco but most that are bought are slaves kept from escaping through horrible means or are specimen for any sort of thing, from fine dining to all sorts of experiments. That's why the only way to get there is through being a buyer or a seller. Going in as a seller would be easy but I would have to put one of you up for auction and I would rather avoid that for an absolute last resort. I can't promise being able to get any of you back doing that."  
  
"Can you prove to be a buyer, instead?"  
  
He smirked. "I have a pair of rare, twin vicu and a human girl well tended claimed as mine. They won't ask for proof until the auction actually starts. There's a viewing before hand of some of the merchandise. If I can convince them well enough of my intentions, then we could be shown this other shifter too if they have one in house."  
  
"And if they're not?"  
  
He shrugged. "We have ears in the market and word of what we're looking for. If nothing else, we'll be informed when another pops up and we can swoop in and save it."  
  
There was a brief silence behind him. Eventually the male twin offered, "We've got curious ears getting closer. We may also have a tail."  
  
There was the sound of wings and he looked back to watch the female twin land. The chain he had made from the vicu's collar was absorbed back into the collar. "Good work. We'll see how good of a tail it is once we reach the busier streets."  
  
For the first time since stating what she was, the human girl spoke up. "We can ditch them in this?"  
  
He glanced back with the intent to answer but it was the sister of the smaller twins that beat him to the punch. "We can, but it may get tricky."  
  
"I can keep an eye on them?" the brother offered, feet light on the pavement as he seemed to grow excited.  
  
He narrowed his eyes at them. "What are you two going on about?"  
  
The set of smaller twins looked ready to answer but the male twin put a hand on their heads. Said male twin gained both sets of curious eyes. "Later. When we're not being observed. We're getting too close to strangers for it to be safe."  
  
The male twin was right. They had one last bend in the road that led directly into the city and there were people loitering near the edge of the road they were going to be passing.  
  
"Keep an eye on what you can, Dynasty. Destiny, don't get lost in possibilities."  
  
The set of twins nodded. The male twin moved their touch from head to shoulder but did not let go of either twin after that. A part of him wondered the full explanation as the smaller set of twins gained expressions that made him think they were exhausted, bored, or zoned out. He had read their files, hadn't he? They had some sort of ability, right?  
  
The city came up and swallowed them as quickly as the market had. Here the variety of clothing was far less compared to the market but still plentiful. His attire alone would only stand out minutely compared to the tourists that wandered around. The rest of his companions, though, stood out sharper than he did.  
  
It took about fifteen minutes for him to decide it was to their benefit and to their downfall in equal parts.  
  
He stopped at the window of a popular shop, taking in the attire on display. The male twin - ever skilled at their roll - stepped up without his beckoning. He turned, softly pulling on the human girl's collar. Her eyes widened but she obediently walked up to him as he muttered to the male twin, "How much credit do you have on you?"  
  
The female twin had moved to block him from view of the street and his fretting of the human girl's attire had his back to the window enough to hide his lips from there as well. The male twin looked down at him but kept the conversation discrete. "Enough. What are you thinking?"  
  
"We need to ditch our tail and get you all better clothes. You're going to stand out enough as it is. I don't want to draw attention again if I can help it."  
  
The male twin hummed and moved to the two Quillians. He gestured for the human girl to turn and she did just that. He went about pretending to care about her garb, feigning considering new clothing styles and the trio spoke so quietly, he couldn't even hear the edges of their voices in the crowd."  
  
The male twin was back as he ran out of things to do to look busy with the human girl. The male twin spoke in turn, "Destiny says entering this shop will lead to us getting into the underground market willingly."  
  
He arched an eyebrow. "Are they certain?"  
  
Which one was Destiny again?  
  
"Very."  
  
It was good enough for him. He turned and entered the shop. Nearly every staff member looked his way and he got the distinct impression he had entered somewhere he shouldn't have but there was no sense of turning back now.


	4. Metal Bindings that Tie

He did his best not to let his trepidation show. It must have worked enough because one of the closest employees approached him. She was much smaller than him but he felt the metal she carried and knew she would manipulate if she needed to.  
  
He was also certain he could overpower any manipulation she tried.  
  
"Welcome, sir," she offered cordially. "Is this your first time visiting?"  
  
He felt her try and control the collars of his and he placed himself in her space. Her metal sang under his control and she stared wide-eyed at him as he pulled it from her. "Do not touch what is mine without expressed permission," he warned, coiling her metal behind him in an impressive display of control. "You will not be able to overpower me and I do not want to have to put you in your place if you tried."  
  
Her face turned bright red with her shame and embarrassment as he returned her metal to the shape and place it had been before he had taken over. She opened her mouth but he was already turning away, silencing her before she had the chance to speak again. His heart was pounding in his chest. Why had they put their lives in his hands again?  
  
"We are leaving," he spoke to the other but there was no real desire to leave the shop. They needed the underground market. Either the employee that approached him either knew his lack of desire or was desperate.  
  
"Sir, a moment."  
  
He turned looking to the older man that had spoken to him. If he had to guess, the man was probably old enough to be his father. "I am Perix, manager of this establishment. I wish to offer an apology on behalf of my employee. We do not often gain patrons of your caliber and this was her first interaction with one such as yourself."  
  
He scoffed. "Do you not train them?"  
  
His skin crawled at the thought of the role he had shoved himself into.  
  
The man gave a shallow bow. "Absolutely, but due to the rarity customers such as yourself are, she has yet had any experience beyond yourself to make sure the information is retained."  
  
"She best retain it after this," he ground out. "I'm not so certain I will return after such an interaction." There was a flicker of annoyance in the man's eyes but the man's expression remained calm. He almost let the smirk cross his face. Or maybe it did slip forth as the man's expression turned a bit confused. He ran with it, grateful for an excuse to shake off the persona that made his skin crawl. "How am I not surprised this isn't the first time you've had to deal with this kind of situation?" The confusion took over the man's expression completely. He waved it off. "I am not pleased she tried to take control the second time but I understand the reasons for the first. Unfortunately I'm very....particular about those that are mine. I have lost one due to someone's idiocy before. I am not keen on letting that happen again."  
  
The man nodded with a neutral expression once more. "Of course, sir." Had they truly been his, he probably would have been offended when the man's gaze flickered to his companions. "I offer my sympathy. Do you have intentions of replacing it?"  
  
"Replacing it? No," he spoke. "They were unique. There is no replacing when it comes to something like that."  
  
The bell over the door rang out. It took all he had not to look over. He trusted at least one of the others to take in whoever entered. The man before him, though, looked over before offering him an encouraging smile. "I know they are not of much condolence but I can show you some of our more finer pieces freshly made in the back for yours."  
  
He arched an eyebrow. "Lead the way."  
  
The man led them through the shop to the back. The man opened the door to a back hallway and he stepped through the door without hesitation. There was a pause as everyone filed in and the man pulled the door shut. He fell into step next to the man as they were led down the hall.  
  
"How unique was the one you lost?" the man inquired.  
  
He gave the man a flat look. "Unless you are taking me to a viewing of some 'replacements', I have no reason to show you."  
  
The man sent him a smug look. "I can make that happen."  
  
"At a price, I'm sure."  
  
The man chuckled. "You are quite perceptive for your young age."  
  
He snorted. "And you're not, old man. So the shop manager persona's just an act?"  
  
"Hmm, no," the man offered. "I can be quite cordial if I wish to be. I simply have less patience behind closed doors."  
  
"Fair enough," he stated, getting straight to the point. "I want access to the Underground."  
  
"That unique?"  
  
He stopped and turned, the group stopping in turn. He reached out, hand towards the snake around the human girl's neck. "I had two of these. I want another or nothing at all."  
  
Despite not having said anything, the creature understood and turned to smoke that drifted towards him. It reformed into some sort of bird he had never seen that was massive. If he had to guess, its wingspan was now longer than the tallest twins were tall. It was an imposing sight and he appreciated the decision without guidance. The man beside him was stiff as the creature stared him down with brilliant eyes that looked like molten gold still churning.  
  
"If there is one to be set for auction, I'm sure the Magistrate will know."  
  
He focused a hard gaze on the man. "Not a word of this to anyone else, Perix. You're death won't be pleasant if you slip."  
  
The man bowed, not even phased by the threat. As uneasy as it made him, it was a good sign. "Of course, sir. Let me take you to the Magistrate."  
  
The rest of the walk was in silence. He sent the creature back to the human girl where it returned to the shape it had been when he had first seen it. If any of the others were phased by what had happened, they didn't show it.  
  
The man came to a stop at some seemingly random door and produced a key. It looked too small for the lock but he still inserted it and gave a full rotation before removing it and opening the door. Beyond the door was a massive showing space and he knew immediately where they were stepping into. Without even looking back, he thinned their collars to chain them to each other. There were no complaints and the way the collars shifted under his awareness told him that the twins were book-ending the group. The male twin was at his shoulder, the female twin at the back; the entire group was close and pressed in together. It was less likely they would get picked off like that and he was glad for the silent communication that seemed to happen.  
  
The man noticed. "You have very obedient claimed, sir. Even the Quillian?"  
  
"They are in my care as a favor to someone I owed," he offered nonchalant. "Those collared are simply well trained and intelligent. They know how to behave."  
  
Silence lapsed over them again as the man continued on, weaving this way and that through the expansive showroom. It was near the point he was about to ask how much farther they had to go when the man turned and started down a secluded hallway. The space quickly became less showy and he realized they were being led into the back areas of the market. A cacophony of sounds started reaching them. It wasn't till they were almost upon the source that he realized it was a variety of creature screams and people shouting. They stepped into a space that wasn't very wide but it was long. It looked like the main thoroughfare for goods drop-off and pick-up. There were a number of creatures being wrestled into new cages, crates of goods moved with careful crews, and yet the man did not stop.  
  
They took the thoroughfare for quite a distance before the man slipped down a new hallways. This time there was only one creature sound coming from ahead of them but plenty of voices shouting.  
  
The room they stepped into was small compared to the other two spaces they had crossed through but it was still huge. In the center of the room was some sort of creature struggling against the metal restraints. Out of the swarm of people. there was one standing to the side watching all of it.  
  
"Wait here," the man said, rushing off to speak to that person.  
  
He turned his attention back on the creature. He felt the restraints break in one section and that seemed to be all it needed. In a sudden burst of smoke, the creature's shape reformed into a massive dragon.  
  
He now knew why they were in such a large room, though he thought it was still a stupid idea.  
  
Something shot past him as the human girl behind him screamed, "NO!"  
  
Another surge of smoke and suddenly there was a second dragon screaming too. Rage surged through him speckled with panic as he took a step forward. The workers were already moving to corral the creature but he did it first. Liquid metal seemed to quickly form out of thin air in floating globs before strands shot out and wrapped around the creature that was under his protection. He made the bindings hurt both because he was furious and because it was to be expected. He shoved the creature to the ground and pinned it without moving a muscle. He sneered down at it as it whined, its muzzle bound shut. "Return to form," he barked in the echoing silence. "Now!"  
  
The creature's large form seemed to puff into smoke that quickly condensed and solidified against the human girl's chest as a mouse. The human girl's hands came up to cradle it.  
  
He let his gaze drift over the room, taking in all the people watching him. Before his gaze settled, he took in the other creature that was now pinned to the ground staring at him. He looked to the person the man had gone to. They had an intrigued look on their face and he wasn't sure he could get them all through this alive anymore.


End file.
